This invention relates to systems and methods of attaching a cover to a text body.
Today, a variety of different bookbinding systems can deliver professionally bound documents, including books, manuals, publications, annual reports, newsletters, business plans, and brochures. A bookbinding system generally may be classified as a-commercial (or trade) bookbinding system that is designed for in-line manufacturing of high quality volume runs or an in-house (or office) bookbinding system designed for short xe2x80x9con-demandxe2x80x9d runs. Commercial bookbinding systems generally provide a wide variety of binding capabilities, but require large production runs (e.g., on the order of thousands of bindings) to offset the set-up cost of each production run and to support the necessary investment in expensive in-line production equipment. Office bookbinding systems, on the other hand, generally involve manual intervention and provide relatively few binding capabilities, but are significantly less expensive to set up and operate than commercial bookbinding systems, even for short on-demand production runs of only a few books.
In general, a bookbinding system collects a plurality of sheets (or pages) into a text body (or book block) that includes a spine and two side hinge areas. The bookbinding system applies an adhesive to the text body spine to bind the sheets together. A cover may be attached to the bound text body by applying an adhesive to the side hinge areas or the spine of the text body, or both. The cover of a typical commercial soft cover book generally is attached to the text spine. The covers of hardcover books and some soft cover xe2x80x9clay flatxe2x80x9d books, on the other hand, typically are not attached to the text body spines (i.e., the spines are xe2x80x9cfloatingxe2x80x9d).
Many different systems have been proposed for making books with attached spines. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,350 discloses an apparatus for binding sheets that includes a pair of clamping plates that hold the sheets during binding after an aligning plate has aligned the sheet edges. A heating platen heats and melts a backless solid hot melt adhesive that is placed along the sheet edges. The hot melt adhesive binds the sheets together at the spinal area. The hot melt adhesive also may be used to attach a preformed book cover to the text body spine.
Similarly, many different systems have been proposed for making books with floating spines.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,423 discloses a paperback bookbinding scheme in which the text body is bound by a hot melt adhesive that is attached to a coating (or laminating) film that prevents the text body from attaching to the cover in the spinal area of the cover. In this way, the book is free to open with a floating spine. In one embodiment, a molten synthetic resin of pressure-sensitive glue (or adhesive) is applied to the spine and side hinge areas of the text body. A non-adhering coating is applied to a region of the cover that extends over the spinal area between a pair of hinge score lines. The non-adhering coating is formed from a quick-drying liquid carrier and a powdered material. Glue strips are applied to the cover along lines just beyond the score lines. The text body is attached to the cover by the glue strips and is attached to the non-adhering coating by the pressure sensitive adhesive. When the book is opened, the non-adhering coating allows the text body to move independently of the spinal portion of the cover. In another embodiment, a clear plastic film is laminated to the side hinge areas of the cover, but is unattached to the cover in the spinal area where a non-adhering coating previously was applied. The text body is attached to the laminating film by hot melt glue strips. As a result, when the book is opened, the text body is free to move independently of the spinal area of the cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,769 discloses a paperback bookbinding scheme in which the text body is bound by an adhesive. A crash layer (or crinkle paper layer) is attached by a glue adhesive to one or both side hinge areas of the cover, but not to the spinal area of the cover. The crash layer then is attached to the text body by a glue adhesive. Thus, the cover is not attached to the crash layer, allowing the book to open with a floating spine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,410 discloses a paperback bookbinding scheme in which the text body is bound by a flexible support layer (e.g., gauze, cloth, crepe strip or ribbon). The cover is attached to the text body by two adhesive glue strips that extend along the front and back hinge areas.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 8324153 discloses a bookbinding scheme in which a tape is laminated to the front and rear of a text body, but not to the spine area of the text body. The entire extent of the tape is bonded to the cover. When the book is opened, the text body is allowed to move independently of the tape in the area of the book spine.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 6048065 discloses a bookbinding scheme in which a hot melt adhesive is applied to the spine and side hinge areas of a text body. A xe2x80x9cpaste-dissolving liquidxe2x80x9d is applied to the spinal area to prevent the text body from adhering to the cover. As a result, when the cover is pressed against the text body, the cover attaches only to the side hinge areas of the text body.
Still other bookbinding systems have been proposed.
The invention features novel systems and methods for attaching a cover to a text body to create bound documents with floating and attached spines.
In one aspect, the invention features a bookbinding method in accordance with which two or more sheets are bound into a text body having an exposed spine bounded by two exposed side hinge areas. A solid pressure sensitive adhesive film is applied between a cover and the side hinge areas of the text body. The cover is bound to the side hinge areas of the text body by applying pressure to the cover.
Embodiments in accordance with this aspect of the invention may include one or more of the following features.
The solid pressure sensitive adhesive film may be applied to the cover before contacting the side hinge areas of the text body. The solid pressure sensitive adhesive film may be applied to the cover as two strips that are spaced apart by a width dimension that is at least as wide as the exposed spine of the text body.
In some embodiments, the solid pressure sensitive adhesive film is applied between the cover and the exposed spine of the text body. The solid pressure sensitive adhesive film may be applied as a single continuous strip with a width dimension that is wider than the exposed spine of the text body. Alternatively, the solid pressure sensitive adhesive film may be applied in a series of multiple strips over an area corresponding to the side hinge areas and the exposed spine of the text body.
In one embodiment, the solid pressure sensitive adhesive film comprises a pressure sensitive adhesive composition laminated to a hot melt adhesive film. In this embodiment, two or more sheets are bound into the text body by applying the solid pressure sensitive adhesive film with the hot melt adhesive film in contact with the side hinge areas and the exposed spine of the text body. The hot melt adhesive film is melted to bind the two or more sheets to the text body. The cover is bound to the side hinge areas of the text body by disposing the cover over the text body and applying pressure to the cover to activate the pressure sensitive adhesive composition.
In another aspect, the invention features a bookbinding system that includes a sheet binder, an adhesive dispenser, and a cover binder. The sheet binder is configured to bind two or more sheets into a text body having an exposed spine that is bounded by two exposed side hinge areas. The adhesive dispenser is configured to apply a solid pressure sensitive adhesive film between a cover and the side hinge areas of the text body. The cover binder is configured to bind the cover to the side hinge areas of the text body by applying pressure to the cover.
Embodiments in accordance with this aspect of the invention may include one or more of the following features.
The adhesive dispenser preferably is configured to apply a solid pressure sensitive adhesive film to the cover in a series of spaced-apart strips. The adhesive dispenser preferably comprises a plug-in cartridge housing. The adhesive dispenser preferably comprises a supply spool that is disposed within the plug-in cartridge housing and is configured to support a roll of pressure sensitive adhesive tape formed from a solid pressure sensitive adhesive film disposed on a carrier ribbon. The adhesive dispenser preferably also comprises a take-up spool that is disposed within the plug-in cartridge housing and is configured to reel-in spent carrier ribbon.
In another aspect, the invention features a bookbinding method in accordance with which two or more sheets are collected into a text body having an exposed spine bounded by two exposed side hinge areas. An adhesive sheet comprising a hot melt adhesive film and a backing is applied to the text body with the hot melt adhesive film in contact with the side hinge areas and the spine of the text body. The hot melt adhesive is exposed in areas corresponding to the side hinge areas of the text body. A cover is disposed over the text body. The hot melt adhesive is melted to bind the two or more sheets at the text body spine and to bind the cover to the side hinge areas of the text body.
Embodiments in accordance with this aspect of the invention may include one or more of the following features.
The backing may include one or more slits, and the hot melt adhesive may be exposed by stretching the backing in the side hinge areas to expose the hot melt adhesive through the slits. In another embodiment, the hot melt adhesive may be exposed by removing the backing in areas corresponding to the side hinge areas of the text body. In another embodiment, the hot melt adhesive is exposed by folding edges of the adhesive sheet back over at least a portion of each of the side hinge areas.
In another aspect, the invention features an adhesive sheet comprising a hot melt adhesive film, and a backing layer attached to the hot melt adhesive film and having one or more slits extending in a substantially longitudinal direction and configured to expose the hot melt adhesive upon stretching of the backing layer in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.
In some embodiments, the backing comprises a staggered array of slits.